Through the Gateway
by Leo-Wolf
Summary: The Shaman King characters are pulled accidently into another universe where they will have to deal with faeries, poltergiests, confusing Parallels and all sorts of insanity!
1. Chapter 1

Wolf and Leo: New story! Hope you like it! We own nothing.

The bookshelf rattled and a couple of books flung themselves off to thud to the floor.

"Ha, missed me!" taunted Joshua Seerstone. His twin brother Timothy watched as he crept closer to the bookshelf, dodging more book missiles. The two of them were identical, with golden skin, and dark brown hair. Josh had buzzed his to about two centimetres length, whereas Tim's was longer and he was often seen brushing it out of his eyes. Both hovered around six feet tall and were more lean then muscular.

"C'mon wuss, you'll never get that poltergeist caught going slow as a turtle." Josh stuck his tongue out and then blew a handful of dust at the bookcase. A whirling cloud of dust rose up in indignation. Josh pounced; bringing the green sea-glass bottle he held in his other hand over the exposed poltergeist.

Quickly he corked it, sealing the poltergeist inside. "You were saying?" He smirked at Tim. "That's the last of them."

"Thank the gods." Tim replied. "I was getting tired of having my clothes do the Yankee Doodle when I was trying to get into them." Tim laughed and then abruptly he stopped, an odd look in his blue-green eyes.

"Tim, what's up?" Josh asked, still clutching the caught poltergeist.

"Josh, what day is it?" Josh's brow furrowed and he looked over at the calendar on the wall.

"It's September 21..." He trailed off, eyes going wide. "Oh, gods!" He leapt at Tim. "Naird eht rewop..."

It was too late, as a bright light surrounded Tim and an explosion blew Josh back. When the spots in front of his eyes cleared, Josh stared up in dismay at the many people now crowding their library.

"Oh, we are in so much trouble." He moaned. An imperious young woman with blonde hair and dark eyes marched up to him.

"What did you just do?" She demanded. Josh rubbed his neck sheepishly.

"Well, it's kind of a long story, and right now I need to check on my brother." He looked around. "Tim?"

"In here!" Tim pushed his way out of the crowd of people. His skin had gone paler than normal and he swayed slightly.

"Okay, bro, sit down." Josh put down the poltergeist bottle and helped his brother into a chair.

"Excuse me, are you going to answer me?" The girl demanded again.

"Give us a minute, this is important." Josh drew a circle on Tim's forehead with his finger. "  
Etag rewop level laever." A small light, a deep orange color, appeared on Tim's forehead. "Okay, almost out, we just need to drain what's-"

"Oh uh." Tim let out a sound like a hiccup. There was a smaller flash and bang, and two more people appeared in the library. Tim's eyes rolled back in his head and he slumped in the chair, unconscious. The light on his forehead went dark red.

"Oookay, I guess we don't need to do a drain after all." He looked at the newcomers. They were both girls, twins by the look of them, with the same dark eyes, and chestnut hair. The one had shoulder-length hair that was slightly wavy and an open, sweet face. The other had long, curly hair and a sharp face. This one glared at Josh as he stared.

"Hey, you look like me." A young man with dark eyes and spiked chestnut hair pushed out of the crowd to stand in front of the short-haired girl. Josh looked back and forth between the two, they could have been siblings.

"Looks like we got Parallels." He sighed and grabbed a massive book off the table. "Hey, can I get your names?"

"I'm Yoh." Both the girl and boy answered at the same time. Josh raised an eyebrow.

"Definitely Parallels." He muttered.

"How can he be Yoh too?" The other girl pushed in front of the boy Yoh, frowning at him.

"You must be Hao." Boy-Yoh replied pleasantly. Girl-Hao eyed him suspiciously, and then nodded.

"Hey, Hao-sama is not a girl!" A small girl with orange hair done up in pigtails put her hands on her hips. "There's only one Hao-sama." The big crowd began to murmur restlessly. Josh put up a hand.

"I will answer any and all questions you might have, as soon as I get some answers." He opened the huge book to the back of it. "Now, what sort of magic do you people use?" Both Yohs jumped as they felt something probing at their furyiochu.

"How do you know we use magic?" The blonde girl asked suspiciously.

"Anna, calm down." Boy-Yoh said gently. "We should probably listen to this guy."

"I can sense different types of magic." Josh replied calmly. "I need to know the type."

"Why?" Girl-Hao asked.

"Standard procedure." Josh said distractedly. "It helps me decipher what universe you're all from."

"Universes?" Girl-Yoh asked dazedly, leaning closer to her twin sister. Boy-Yoh blinked in surprise as Girl-Hao wrapped one arm protectively around her sister's shoulders.

"Yes, now can you tell me your brand of magic."

"Shamanism." Boy-Yoh answered.

"Cigam, msinanahs." Josh said and the pages of the book riffled themselves. "Ahh, here we go. Are you currently in the middle of a Shaman King tournament?" Josh asked.

"Yes." Boy-Yoh answered.

"Okay..." He placed a sticky note on the page that he was on. "Okay, now both Yoh's, what were you doing before you got here?"

"Walking home from school." Girl-Yoh answered.

"Training." Boy-Yoh answered. Josh flipped a couple of pages and marked another spot.

"Alright, well, now we know where we have to send you back." He closed the book and then looked around as Tim groaned.

"What'd I miss?" Tim asked, sitting up and rubbing his head.

"We know where we need to send them back." Josh replied.

"Oh Good, now we just need something for this migraine of mine." Tim replied rubbing his temples. Josh chuckled good naturally.

"Ok, so you're going to send us back now?" Anna asked impatiently, "Yoh still has a quite a bit of training left to do." Boy-Yoh just groaned, but to be quieted by a glare from Anna.

"No" Josh chuckled, "unfortunately we have to wait for Tim's 'batteries' to recharge."

"And how long is that going to take?"

"About six weeks."

"**WHAT!"**

Leo: (chuckles) not bad for our first chapter.

Wolf: (chuckles) yea, we could have stopped it in the middle of a sentence

Readers: (glares)

Wolf: (hides behind Leo) hide me!

Leo: review please! The more reviews the faster we up date!


	2. Chapter 2

Wolf and Leo: Nothing but our own bad selves is owned by us!

"What do you mean, six weeks?" Anna demanded angrily.

"Because that's how long it takes." Josh answered. "There's no way around it, so you better get used to it."

"That's right, now if you shut your yaps we'll explain a little more about all this." Tim said. "Any questions."

"How did we get here, for starters?" The male version of Hao stalked to the front, narrowing his eyes at his female doppelganger and folding his arms to glare at the twins.

"Well, you see..." Josh started.

"Basically I have the power to open a gateway between universes."

"And I have the power to manipulate the energy to open the gate to whichever universe and whatever place in that universe that we needed."

"And of course we also have to contend with Parallel universes." Tim added. "There are three kinds of those. One that in which the gender of all is opposite, and the events proceed the same as in the other. One in which the gender is the same, but events unfold differently..."

"And finally one in which the gender is swapped, and the events are different. That is what we have demonstrated here today." Josh finished, nodding towards the boy and girl Hao and Yohs.

"Er, speaking of that, for simplicity's sake we are going to have to ask that one of each Parallel refer to themselves by a nickname while we are all here." Tim added. There was an awkward silence for a minute and then Girl-Yoh shyly said

"I used to be called Kitty, if that helps." She blushed slightly as everyone turned to look at her.

"Why?" Tim asked curiously.

"Childhood phase, don't ask." Girl-Hao said. "And if she's going to be using a nickname, I guess I'd better use one too." She sighed. "You can call me Pyro."

"Well, that one makes sense." A small, old man grumbled. Pyro shot him a poisonous glare.

"Ok, can we get all the names, seeing as it is going to be awhile before you get home, and we don't feel like calling out 'Hey you!' all the time."

"I am Yohmei Asakura." The small, balding old man said. His wife, an equally small, blind woman revealed herself as Kino. Their daughter, tall and dark haired with dark eyes, was Keiko, and her husband, the tall man with a bird mask and dark hair in a ponytail was Mikihisa.

A bouncy, orange-haired girl was Macchi, and her blonde and blue haired companions were Mari and Kanna respectively. A tiny little black girl with a big afro poof was Opacho. They were all revealed to be followers of Hao.

A tall blonde man in a white uniform and glasses was Marco, and his young female charge with silver hair and rose-coloured eyes was Jeanne, or the Iron Maiden. Marco seemed to follow her and raved that she was to be the saviour until Tim asked the rest their names.

A smaller boy with blue hair was Horohoro and his spiky-haired, golden-eyed friend was Ren. A diminutive boy with blonde hair was Manta and the slightly scary blonde with shadowed eyes and stitches over his chest was Doctor Faust. They were all friends of Yoh. The rest the twins already knew their names.

"Now, another question." Hao said, watching the twins with intelligent eyes that smouldered like burning coals. "You say you control where the gates open, so why did you call us out?"

"Actually, that was kind of an accident." Tim admitted shame-faced. Hao raised an eyebrow. "On certain days of the year the Earth's magic is amplified. Since my ability to open Gates is tied to Earth magic, my powers go haywire, and can be set off accidently."

"And how often are these days of power?" Kino asked.

"Twice a year." Josh replied. "On the equinoxes."

"And so you can't stop this from happening?" Kitty asked.

"Actually..."

"BOYS!" Tim and Josh flinched at the voice.

"Oh, boy." Tim whispered.

"Gramma's home."

"We're dead." The twins said at the same moment as footsteps rang through the house. An old woman, about half a foot smaller than the twins, came into the library. She was wiry and had a head of silvery hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Her eyes were the same blue-green and they peered at their accidental houseguests through gold-rimmed spectacles. The only indications of her advanced age were the crow's feet around her eyes.

"Well, I see we've gotten ourselves into a mess." Her tone was light, with a faint southern drawl that was absent in the twins', but there was danger in it. "How did it happen?"

"Well, you see, we were busy with the poltergeists, and so we forgot what day it was, and so..."

"I forgot to drain away the Gate power from Tim." Josh finished with the air of a man that's just confessed to murder. Their grandmother shook her head.

"I'll deal with you two later." She turned to their guests. "Name's Eveline Seerstone, but I suppose y'all can call me Evie." She paused a moment. "I have some rules about guests in this house. You pick up your messes, don't leave the toilet seat up, that sort of thing. But the more important rule is this; there will be no fighting, or killing in this house. Such violence disturbs the creatures that make this place their home. So, I don't care what sort of feuds y'all might have, while your here you'll act civilized with each other, understand?"

There was some assorted muttering, not unlike the growl of a disgruntled dog. Evie glared at them from over her glasses. Tim and Josh watched her uneasily; the last person to make her mad had wound up as a frog for a week. Gramma was not a witch to be taken lightly.

"You." She suddenly said, pointing a finger at Anna. "I need you to come with me, it's important."

"Why should I?" Anna asked rebelliously. Evie glared at her.

"I said it was important." She repeated.

"Well, I want to know why."

"So that I can make sure that child you are carrying was not hurt in some way by the passing." Gram exploded irritably. The silence in the room was so absolute that all could hear the almost inaudible unhappy hums of the captured poltergeists.

"Anna, you're...pregnant?" Horohoro finally whispered in disbelief.

"Almost six months along if I'm not mistaken." Evie cocked her head. "You hide it well."

"So how did you know?" Anna demanded. Evie tapped her forehead with a bony finger.

"The Sight." She replied. "Now, come with me." She gripped Anna's arm in one strong hand and forcibly dragged her to the door. "Oh, and you two, find our guests some rooms to stay in."

With that she left, leaving the twins to deal with their unwanted guests.

Leo : (snicker snicker snicker)

Wolf: (looks at leo grinning) you thought that was funny, just wait untill next chapter.

Leo: are we going to have to pick boys off the floor again?

Wolf: (grins) mabe, mabey not

Leo: (pouts) your no fun.

Wolf: (grin widens) all's well that ends well.

Leo: (raises eyebrow) huh?

Wolf: you'll see…. later.

Leo: (pouts and crosses arms) you really are a spoilsport.

Wolf: (grins) I know. (turns to readers)

**review please!**


	3. Chapter 3

Wolf and Leo: We own nothing but the craziness!

The twins simply stared at their new houseguests for a moment, rubbing the backs of their necks. "Ok, I guess you guys need to follow us." They wandered out of the library into a long hallway.

"How big is this place?" Yoh asked.

"Big enough that we can house about fifty tenants at once." Josh replied. "Not that we've ever had that many at once before."

"Where exactly are we?" Ren asked.

"New York." Tim replied.

"New York City?" Manta queried, panting to keep up with the twins' long-legged stride.

"Yeah. This house is protected under certain laws, and so it's able to keep going even while the rest of the city has seen much upgrading." Tim explained. "Uh, so who here is willing to buddy up for rooms?"

A discussion ensued, after which the twins knew that Pyro and Kitty could share, Yoh and Manta could share a room easily, Ren and Horohoro would tolerate a room together and with Faust, Kanna, Macchi, Mari and Opacho were willing to share as long as there were bunk beds involved, the husband-wife couples of the Asakura family would bed together, and Marco didn't want his Iron Maiden 'tainted', and Marco flat out refused to share with Hao. Out of respect for her pregnancy Tim and Josh decided to place Anna in a room by herself also.

"Ok, so that is four doubles, a triple, a quartet and four singles." Josh counted out as they finished. "Pretty sure we can manage that."

"Oh yeah of course we can manage that."

"Triples in a double bunk room?"

"For sure."

"Ok, got this thing sorted out then." Within ten minutes the twins had rooms picked out and were searching for linens.

"I thought we had a set of pink ones somewhere?" Tim asked as thy rummaged through one of the many closets in the house once more.

"We did, but that griffin used them to make her birthing nest that one time, remember?" Tim nodded.

"Griffins?" A little voice piped up. The twins turned around to find the little black girl blinking up at them with a look of innocent curiosity.

"Yeah, griffins." Josh said. "Get a lot of interesting people here, uh..."

"Opacho." Tim reminded his brother.

"That's it." Josh grinned. "I'm terrible at remembering names, but never forget a face."

"And I'm terrible with faces, but never forget names." Tim added. "We sort of balance each other out that way."

"Oh, you know what Tim, I think we should tell Deedee and Flo that we have more people in the house." Josh said, snapping his fingers.

"Who are they?" Opacho asked.

"They're our cooks." Tim explained. "They're goblins."

"Goblins?" The new voice was Marco and he swaggered down the hall, looking like he owned the place. Opacho ran away, it was clear she did not like this man. Looking at him the twins decided they didn't either. The look he gave them was as though they were stupid, insignificant bugs, not even worth his time. "You employ monsters?"

"No, we employ goblins." Tim replied cheekily, his eyebrow twitching. "Monsters are those bugaboos created by children's minds that hide under beds and in closets."

"A goblin is an evil creature." Marco said, seeming not to have heard them.

"No, they're just one of the many members of the supernatural community that get a bad rap." Josh paused thoughtfully. "Most of the time because of the Fae. Now if you'll excuse us, we should probably go talk to them." Josh led Tim away by the arm. He could tell when his brother's temper was going to go off, and if there was one thing Tim really disliked, it was when people talked shit about his friends.

%&%&%&%

Yoh wandered through the old house, alone. Anna had come back, and his family and friends had gone into a conference about Hao. The theme of the talk was how to get rid of him, permanently.

Yoh had begun to get the uncomfortable feeling that the walls were leaning in on them, listening, and they seemed none too pleased about what they were hearing. Yoh had begun to feel uneasy, but no one else seemed to notice the house's presence but him. He had quietly excused himself and got out.

The feeling of being watched did not dissipate outside of the room. Yoh found he could actually feel the house, a slow, ponderous, somehow alive and not, presence. It seemed to acknowledge him and feel a sort of kinship with him.

He kept his eyes trained to the walls, convinced he would be able to see them breathing as he felt the house doing so in its slow, ancient way. All the sudden there was the sound of the door slamming. Jumping about a foot in the air he turned and saw Tim running towards him. He stopped just long enough to say

"You didn't see me" then took off around the corner. Scratching his head, he looked back down the hall to find Josh stomping down the hallway with whip cream all over his face and a pie plate in hand full of whip cream pie.

"Where'd he go?" Josh asked, Yoh took one look at him then pointed down the hall in the direction that Tim went.

"Thanks." then stomped down the hall and around the corner. Yoh chuckled slightly, but jumped a good two feet in the air when something grabbed him and pulled him into another room.

"Do you feel it too?" Kitty asked, eyes wide and a little frightened. Yoh just blinked at her, as he was trying to bring down his heart rate he caught sight of Pyro standing behind her, a small frown upon her face.

"What do you mean?" Yoh asked.

"The house." Kitty said, looking around at the walls and ceiling. "It's alive, can't you feel it?"

"Yes, I can." Yoh said, feeling surprised. Kitty seemed to relax a little and released her death-grip on Yoh's shirt.

"See, someone else feels it too." She told her sister.

"Alright, alright." Pyro soothed. "You're not going crazy after all." Kitty bounced happily and hugged her sister, who returned the affectionate gesture with a fleeting smile.

"So, does no one else feel the house?" Yoh asked, feeling a tug of longing at the sight of the two sisters so together. Kitty shook her head.

"Well, onee-chan doesn't feel it anyways." She said, tossing her head to flick bangs out of her eyes.

"How come only we can feel it?"

"Well, imouto has always had peculiar sensitivities." Pyro said thoughtfully. "And it stands to reason that you would have them too." Her eyes bored into his, trying to pick something up from him. He quickly threw up his mental blocks. The corner of Pyro's mouth twitched in what might have been a smile.

"You're a quick one, I'll give you that." She said with grudging admiration. "I guess that answers the question of whether or not your brother can read minds."

"Onee-chan, do you think we're in any danger here?" Kitty suddenly piped up. Pyro frowned a little, looking exactly like Hao in her frustration.

"I don't know, the twins that brought us here can veil their minds from me, as well as the grandmother." The corner of her lips slipped upwards in a faint smirk. "She actually shoved me out of her head when I tried. I like her, she's got chutzpah." She then sighed. "I think for now we have to trust them. They're our only way back home." Suddenly Pyro reached out to grasp Yoh's chin, turning his face this way and that.

"So peculiar." She murmured, dark eyes bright and interested. Her hand was soft and warm; the nails just long enough to prick his skin lightly. "Is that the beginning of facial hair I feel?" Pyro asked idly. Yoh nodded, trying very hard not to blush. "How strange."

"I think he looks cute." Kitty said. "And nice, too. Not like the guy version of you, onee-chan. He gives me the creeps."

"You don't know the half of it." Yoh muttered. Pyro gazed at him thoughtfully.

"If I know myself it has something to do with a plan to eradicate the human race, doesn't it?" Yoh nodded glumly. Pyro sighed in exasperation.

"So, I'm guessing you don't have the same plan." Yoh asked tentatively. Pyro smiled softly and shook her head. She was about to say something when a call rang out.

"DINNER!"

"I guess we'd better go." Pyro said, heading for the door. "I'll explain in a little more detail later, alright?"

Leo: (snicker snicker)

Wolf: (shakes head) you love scaring people don't you?

Leo: (snicker snicker) yep!

Wolf: (grins) well something better is coming next chapter.

Leo: oh? What?

Wolf: (grins) a good writer keeps the suspense up and the laughter coming.

Leo: no fair! (pouts)

Wolf: now who's snickering (snicker snicker)

Leo: (pouts some more) review please!


	4. Chapter 4

Wolf and Leo: Own nothing but the craziness.

Yoh's grandfather glared at him as he came down into the dining room with Kitty and Pyro. Yoh looked away and sat down between Anna and Manta. Pyro grabbed Kitty and walked over to where Tim and Josh were sitting, sitting down next to them. The curtains on the windows were drawn, the only light from the intricate chandelier on the high ceiling.

Tim had bits of whipped cream still stuck in his hair and it had gelled into crazy spikes. Josh had missed a couple of spots on his face, and his buzz cut had random bits of cream dotting it. Both of them frequently elbowed the other, muttering trash talk.

"Well then, now that y'all are here, we can get started." Evie said, words a lazy drawl. "Come on in ladies."

At her words two of the strangest creatures any of the shamans had ever seen walked in the room, each pushing a trolley heaped with food. They were both clearly female, but that was the only thing recognisably human about them.

The one had deep blue, scaled skin and no hair anywhere on her body. Her four-fingered hands ended in sharp black claws and her eyes were completely crimson red. The other looked cat-like, with sleek, short golden fur and soft cat ears. A tail flicked back and forth behind her as she walked.

Both were wearing aprons over black t-shirts with the band Linkin Park on them. The two of them silently placed the platters of food on the table, pointedly ignoring the amazed, frightened and downright nasty stares aimed their way. As they headed back into the kitchen, the cat one hooked an arm around the other's waist and pecked her on the cheek.

"That was Deedee and Flo." Evie said calmly when they left. "Deedee was the blue one and Flo was the one that looked like a cat. And to stop any further questions, yes they are dating."

"Disgraceful." Marco muttered.

"Wouldn't say that to Deedee's face." Tim muttered. "She gets real pissy when someone gets in her face about sexuality." Deedee and Flo came back in, aprons off to sit down at the end of the table.

"Alright, let's eat then."

"Can I ask you something?" Kitty asked Deedee and Flo as the food was passed around.

"Of course." Deedee's voice was warm and deep for a woman.

"Um, I always thought that goblins were, like, green men with warts and stuff all over them." Flo laughed.

"That is all the old stories, yes?" Her voice was lightly accented in a way that made it sound like a purr. "But, that is not the truth. We goblins are cousins of the Fae, what you would normally call Faeries."

"Yes, and like our cousins, our looks come in all shapes, sizes, colours and species." Deedee added. "But unlike our cousins we cannot go out in direct sunlight, else we turn to stone."

"So that's why the curtains are drawn." Yoh said. Deedee nodded.

"Can I ask a question?" This came from Pyro. Most of the other shamans, excepting Yoh, most of Yoh's friends, and Keiko, who merely regarded the female version of Hao curiously, glared at her. Pyro lifted her chin, favouring them with a haughty stare.

"You may." Flo purred, flexing her fingers and letting the retractable claws on the end of each finger slide in and out briefly.

"I have heard many tales of Faerie, and many talk about the effect of iron on them, in that iron is poisonous to them. Is that true, and do you share this trait with your cousins?"

"It is true and no, we do not share it." Deedee said. "We do not share much in common with our cousins." Her voice was bitter and a little bit afraid.

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Hao asked.

"The Fae live in extremes." Flo explained. "Extreme pleasure...and pain. Being with one of the Fae can be the most incredible and the most horrifying experience of your life, all at once." A collective shudder went through the room.

"On that note, there are many Fae living in this city, and they pay special attention to magic-users. So, anytime you go out, make sure you have iron on your person somewhere. There are iron necklaces by the front door for that purpose." Evie said. "Now, I'm not one to pry, but I'm getting some negative energy from all of y'all. Now, do y'all mind telling me what your beef is with each other."

"The only 'beef' is with that monster." Marco snarled, pointing at Hao. "And I am certain that the she-devil is just as bad." Pyro's eyes narrowed. Hao merely chuckled darkly.

"Well, one thing is for certain, Yoh is stronger than that 'Kitty'." Yohmei said smugly, dismissing said girl. He didn't see Pyro's hands curl into fists. "Yoh would never give into that-" He halted as something struck him on his bald head. He looked around, but everyone was calmly eating.

"Hmph, a clear sign of weakness, that girl giving into the murderer- hey!" Marco yelped as he was struck. Tim and Josh snickered quietly as Pyro reloaded her spoon with another pea, waiting for someone else to go after her sister. Yoh was watching her with an amused half-smile.

Tim saw it and placed a carrot on his spoon, letting it fly at Yoh. Yoh flinched and then grabbed a pea. Josh just laughed until he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned in time to have his grandmother smear a handful of mashed potatoes in his face. He stared at her slack-jawed for a moment.

"Oh, it's on." He yelled finally and let fly with the mashed potatoes. Evie ducked and the potatoes smashed into the back of Flo's head. Flo turned and grinned predatorily. She scooped up some peas and shot them at Horohoro and Ren. Ren sputtered angrily, but Horohoro got into the spirit of things and pitched his potatoes at Faust.

"FOOD FIGHT!" Tim screamed as an all-out brawl erupted, with the older shamans, the Iron Maiden and Hao and his followers as non-active, but still equal, participants. At the same time from upstairs in the house came the sounds of Tuttie Fruitie, an upbeat, fun song.

"SHUT UP BRIAN!" Tim and Josh roar at the same time, before being flattened by peas and carrots. Tim then pulled Josh under the table chuckling as he wiped food off his face,

"Hey Josh what do you get when you mash a bunch of cooked peas and carrots together?" Josh's grin got bigger

"A handful of goop that sticks better then the whole peas does" he supplied as Tim pulled the dish of mixed peas and carrots off the table, but his action wasn't without consequences. He got a face full of mashed potatoes from Evie who in turn got pelted by more potatoes and carrots. Josh chuckled at Tim's potato covered face, as each of them took a hand full of peas and carrots and smashed them up in to one big goop pile.

Josh and Tim nodded at each other then rose above the table to chuck their "presents" at Marco, who didn't see it coming till it was too late. Both boys ducked under the table again holding onto each other laughing at Marco's surprised face which is now very, very green.

"Hey Tim!" shouted a male voice. Tim raised above the table just enough to see over the top, to have Yoh place the mashed potato pot on his head covering his face and shoulders with potatoes.

Everyone who saw this started laughing so hard that they started crying, and then the music cut off abruptly. A few minutes later so did the food fight and the uncontrollable laughter. Everyone in the room is plastered with food, as are the walls and part of the ceiling.

"That was completely uncalled for." Yohmei growled angrily.

"Oh, y'all don't know how to have fun." Evie grumbled. "It's easy enough to clean up."

_Naelc pu!_

As she said the strange words the food that coated almost everything disappeared and everyone was clean once more.

"How did you do that?" Kitty asked, staring down at her baby blue t-shirt.

"That's just how our magic works." Tim shrugged.

"It's a combination of words, will and total faith," Josh added, "Something that a lot of human beings don't have these days."

"So, what you're saying is that anyone could have this magic, they just don't believe in it." Hao clarified. The twins nodded solemnly. Deedee and Flo had disappeared back into the kitchen already.

"Who were you yelling at earlier?" Yoh asked.

"Oh, that was Brian." Josh and Tim answered and then chuckled.

"Who's Brian, and why didn't he come for dinner?" Anna demanded, checking her hair to make sure there was no food left in it.

"Because Brian is a poltergeist" Tim answered.

"I thought you guys didn't like poltergeists." Manta said, "Weren't you catching them before we got here?"

"Yes, well, Brian is a special case." Josh explained, "He's reformed."

"Which means he doesn't play nasty pranks on people like all the others." Tim added, "He stays in the jukebox in the library upstairs."

"So that's why he could play music." Horohoro said. Tim nodded.

"Anybody else we should know about around here?" Kanna demanded crossing her arms.

"Oh, yeah, we got a couple more permanent residents, but they can be kind of shy." Josh nodded vaguely, staring into the distance.

"What is it?" Tim asked.

"We should probably patrol the parks tonight." Josh answered. "You know how the equinox can stir up the Fae."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Tim and Josh headed for the door. "I wouldn't go outside tonight. The Fae are going to be particularly rowdy, and we don't feel like having to save your butts." With that they each grabbed a necklace from by the door and headed outside into the twilit night.

Little did they know it was going to be one long night.

Leo: (lol!) THAT WAS GREAT!

Wolf: (lol!) I agree I think that was one of the best chapters we've written yet!

Leo: (nods) yep!

Wolf: the more reviews we get the faster we update!

Leo: so please hit that pretty little button that says Review! We know you want too!


	5. Chapter 5

Wolf and Leo: Nothing but our own bad selves is owned by us!

"Later in the night Yoh found himself drawn once more to the girls' sides. The two of them were clustered around the jukebox, whispering to each other.

"Ahem." Yoh coughed politely, getting their attention. Two pairs of eyes turned to regard him, one wide and surprised, the other narrow and suspicious.

"Oh, hello Yoh." Kitty chirped. "Geez, that's weird to say." She giggled. "We were talking with Brian."

"Well, I'm not sure talking is accurate." Pyro corrected. "We ask a question and Brian plays a line or a stanza from a song that answers it. He must have every record ever made in there." She said with obvious astonishment. Yoh peered at her, it was strange to him that Hao would show his, well, her, emotions so easily!

"I heard that one." Pyro smiled slightly at him. "You still have questions."

"Well, yes." Yoh rubbed his head, feeling embarrassed. "I mean, you're so like Hao, but so different too...what happened?"

Pyro sat down with a sigh in one of the many armchairs dotting the great, huge library and gestured for Yoh to do the same while her sister eased in beside her. Pyro closed her eyes and appeared to think for awhile. Yoh took the opportunity to take a good look at the library.

It was large, like an actual public library, with row upon row of old-looking volumes. The closest to him had odd titles like: Habits of the Wild Griffins. There was a large, cluttered desk dotted with drawings, bottles and other strange objects. Above the desk Yoh could see hanging the bottles of captured poltergeists. Yoh pulled his gaze back to find that Pyro had reopened her eyes and was staring at him.

"From what I can surmise from my male counterpart's mind," She began. "Our first and second lives were much the same. It was at the beginning of my second life that the paths began to diverge it seems." She paused a moment and then continued. "When I was born my grandmother waited until my Spirit of Fire appeared and then managed to seal it away with the help of my mother. The effort cost them both, but they told me later it was worth it."

"Without the Spirit of Fire you couldn't get away, right?" Yoh interjected. Pyro nodded. "Not what happened at our birth. Grandfather merely tried to kill Hao, and Hao got away with Spirit of Fire instead."

"I thought so." Pyro replied.

"So what happened with you?"

"My family chose to raise me as one of their own, in hopes that they might be able to tame the anger inside me." Pyro replied with a faint laugh. The laugh would have been contemptuous, if not for the gentle affection underlying it.

"My family doesn't think that Hao is worth saving. All they think about is his destruction." Yoh told her glumly. Her piercing black eyes bored into him.

"But you don't?" She asked quietly. Yoh shook his head sadly.

"I believe there's good in him. He seems so terribly lonely sometimes." Pyro stared above him, eyes grave and faraway, and nodded knowingly. "I have to believe that he can be saved, because no matter what, he's still my brother."

"You have a kind heart, Yoh." Pyro commented. "You're just like my imouto." She wrapped an arm around Kitty and hugged her gently. "I seriously hope that you can find his heart."

"I hope so too." Yoh said with a shuddery sigh. Just then the three of them heard footsteps coming down the hall towards them and tensed. Josh and Tim straggled into the library, clothes and hair in disarray. Tim was limping a little, and Josh had a bandage over his left arm.

"What happened?" Kitty cried in alarm. To her surprise the twins just grinned.

"Oh, just broke up a couple raves and even a sex party." Josh replied cheerily.

"Good night for hunting." Tim added with a feral gleam in his eye. "The Fae were out in packs, but we soon sent them packing."

"Are all Fae nasty?" Pyro enquired.

"No, it's a stereotype, but a very accurate stereotype." Josh explained.

"And being a stereotype there are some in the species that do not fit the stereotype." Tim continued. "Several of our permanent housemates our Fae."

"Oh, and they are the more shy?" Tim and Josh nodded.

"Well, one of them anyways."

All the sudden from downstairs they heard a low, tolling sound. The twins looked at each other, brows furrowed in confusion.

"That was the doorbell..."

"But who would be calling at this hour?" The twins' looks of confusion melted into alarm and they raced for the stairs. As they flew down to the main floor they each grabbed a short iron bar attached to the wall.

Marco and the Iron Maiden were closest to the front door when the bell rang. With no regard at all to the fact that it wasn't their house they headed over. Marco opened it. Standing just outside was a beautiful woman with greenish skin and eyes that were all black, even the pupils.

"CLOSE THE DOOR!" Marco heard the shout but was too slow to react as the woman grabbed him with sharp-nailed hands, digging furrows into his skin as she attempted to drag him outside. Marco could not struggle, trapped by her eyes like a mouse with a snake. "HEAD DOWN!" He heard the yell and ducked as something whistled past his face.

There was a scream of agony and Marco was released. He looked up to find the woman staggering back, hands over her face, which was smoking and had gone black. The twins shoved him out of the way and faced the woman, framed in the doorway. Josh still had his bar, Tim had thrown his already.

"Get out of here." Josh ordered.

"Give me the magic ones." The woman hissed sibilantly, tongue running over sharp teeth like shark's. "They will taste so good."

"We said get lost, unless you want another taste?" Josh asked, hefting his iron bar. The woman hissed and backed off, running down the street. Tim closed the door and the twins faced Marco.

"Never, ever, do that again." Tim said, poking Marco in the chest. "Do you understand?"

"What was that thing?" Josh turned to see Hao regarding them from the stairs.

"That was one of the Fae." He answered. "They are extremely dangerous, stay out of their way." Hao merely snorted.

"My powers can take care of them."

"Your powers cannot help you against their Mesmer." Tim snapped. "They can hold you trapped, no free will, with the touch of a hand, or a look from their eyes. Avoid them, carry iron with you if you're out at night, don't aggravate them."

"We're going to need to put up new warding spells." Josh murmured. He sighed and rubbed his temples. "This was not how I wanted to spend my day." He grumbled.

"That was a Fae?" Yoh asked from further up the stairs where he, Kitty and Pyro were watching. "Are they all that beautiful?"

"No, some are really ugly and frightening." Tim replied. "But they can also use their glamour to make themselves seem more beautiful, and draw their prey in." He yawned widely. "Let's get this done bro, so we can go to sleep."

"Can't argue with that." As they headed up the stairs their grandmother came down, eyes glassy.

"Uh, Gramma?" Tim asked, waving his hand in front of her face. Evie didn't even blink.

"In plain sight this one hides

His own rule he only abides

To end the war you kill the king

But only misery will you bring

Without the king no order will come

To withdraw the troops, the war is done."

Evie's words sent shivers down everyone's spines. "What was that?" The Iron Maiden demanded.

"What was what?" Evie blinked, seeming to come out of her trance.

"You were prophesising again." Josh said.

"Oh, was I? Oh well, bedtime." Evie yawned and headed upstairs.

Kitty yawned herself. "Come on imouto, bedtime." Pyro led her sister back upstairs. Hao watched them go, a contemptuous expression on his face. His eyes travelled and met Yoh's. His heart gave an unfamiliar jolt at the expression of stark longing in his brother's eyes. He looked away, pulse hammering in his head. But, he as he brought his heart rate down, hearing his brother leave, he could not quell the miserable feeling of utter and complete loneliness that enveloped him.

Wolf: yea not really exciting but important all the same.

Leo: Review please!


	6. Chapter 6

Wolf and Leo: We own nothing but the craziness!

Breakfast the next morning went on without a hitch, meaning no food fights were involved this time. The guests dined on pancakes, while Anna grumbled about Deedee and Flo not agreeing to her ideas for the menu.

Evie watched Marco scratch at his shoulder and chest from above her spectacles. "Little itchy there?" She drawled pleasantly. Marco merely glared at her, but resumed his absent-minded scratching after a moment. "Better take off your shirt, let me have a look."

"Excuse me?" Marco demanded. "I will not."

"What, you worried that I'm going to attempt to jump your bones?" Tim and Josh snickered at Marco's scandalized expression. "My taste runs towards those a little more mature thank you very much. Now, remove your shirt before I do it myself."

Unable to ignore the implied threat Marco reluctantly unbuttoned his white collared shirt, revealing red and swollen gashes across his chest and one shoulder. Tim and Josh hissed in sympathy.

"Just as I thought." Evie said, standing up and heading into the kitchen. "Keep your shirt off, I got something to help with that." She came back with a blue sea-glass vial and a white cloth. Tipping the vial she poured whatever was in it onto the cloth, staining it a rich magenta.

"Hold still now." She instructed, walking up to Marco and pressing the cloth against his wounds. Marco yowled in pain, sounding for all the world like a cat in labour. Tim and Josh had to bite their tongues to stifle their laughter. "Oh, quit your squalling." Evie said impatiently. "Would you rather blow up like a parade balloon?"

That shut Marco up, though his teeth remained clenched until Evie was done. When she was the angry red swelling had gone down and Marco looked only like he'd gotten on the bad side of a rose bush.

"What was that about?" Macchi asked curiously.

"The Fae that almost got Blondie here last night," Tim started, jerking a thumb at Marco, who growled.

"Had venom in her claws." Josh finished. "So, Gramma nicely provided the antidote."

"Otherwise, Blondie would have exploded." Tim added, clapping his hands together loudly for effect.

"Mari thinks that sounds nasty." Mari commented, poking at her pancakes.

"Nasty does not even begin to describe these creatures." Evie growled softly. "I lost my son and his wife, their parents, to them when the old king died all those years ago." She stared vacantly at the wall.

"Gramma? Gram?" Tim waved a hand across Evie's face. Evie seemed to snap out of it and swatted his fingers away.

"Yeah, same thing happened a couple months ago, and unfortunately the new command isn't friendly to us like the last one was." Josh groused, apparently unbothered by his grandmother's momentary vacation from reality, stabbing his plate with his fork.

"I keep saying, we need to strike them where it hurts." Tim said. "Show them that they can't mess with us." He pounded the table with a fist.

"You know why we can't do that. It would have repercussions throughout the entire supernatural community; too many innocents would become involved. We can't afford that." Josh replied, trying to cool Tim down. The table sat in silence for a few minutes.

"Um, this might seem stupid, but I have to ask." Yoh said slowly. Tim and Josh nodded. "Is the house...alive in some way? I keep feeling like something is watching me."

"Yeah, me too!" Kitty chimed in. "What gives?"

"You two have special sensitivities, not many people pick up on that." Tim said, surprised. "It's not exactly alive, but the house is very old and old things start to develop a consciousness of their own, especially things that people are around a lot, like a house. It's sort of an echo of all the people that have been here before; who've taken care of this place, a presence that is in the very floorboards."

"Okay, that makes sense, I guess." Kitty said, looking mildly confused.

"So, besides Brian there isn't any spirits in this place?" Pyro asked.

"Yup! And I'm not even sure poltergeists in this world are really synonymous to your type of spirits." Tim shrugged. "Oh well, better make sure those warding spells are going to hold, huh bro?"

"You got it bro." The two of them stood up and walked out of the house. Breakfast finished not long after that and the shamans went their separate ways. Pyro watched, eyes narrowed in anger as Hao brushed past Yoh, slamming him hard in the shoulder as he and his little entourage walked by. Her anger deepened at the hurt, uncomprehending and yet resigned look on Yoh's face.

"That guy needs to be taken down a notch." She whispered to Kitty. "And I know just how." Kitty groaned, knowing how her sister could be with her crazy schemes. She allowed Pyro to drag her away anyways.

%&%&%&%

Hao walked through the house, alone. He had slipped away from his followers, needing some time to himself, away from the half-fearful, half awed thoughts of those girls. Alone, a small, lonely sigh escaped him.

There was no one on the face of the earth that treated him with anything but awe or fear. He was cut off from relationships, but that suited his purpose just fine, or so he told himself. And yet some part of him still yearned for someone that would talk to him like just another person.

So deep in his thought he was that the sudden cold smack upon his head came as an unpleasant surprise. He lifted one hand to his head, finding the tattered ruins of a balloon upon his wet hair.

He looked up, glaring and found Pyro standing on the railing of the stairs above him, grinning maniacally. Hao narrowed his eyes at her. The grin only got wider as Pyro lifted another water balloon up for Hao to see. And then, she dropped it.

The balloon hit him square in the face, exploding on impact and dousing his front with icy water. He slowly opened his eyes, favouring Pyro with his best, scariest glare. Her response was simply a mocking laugh and another water balloon dumped on him.

This at last was the last straw. Hao roared in rage and summoned a fire ball in each hand. Pyro retaliated by grabbing a water balloon in each hand.

"I'm going to give you one chance to get out of here." Hao said, voice low and dangerous. Pyro snorted and chucked the water balloons. Hao torched the first one before it could get to him, but the second one hit him in the chest and doused the fire he held in his hands.

With a final mocking laugh Pyro fled deeper into the house. Hao considered following after her, but what if someone saw him. His pride rooted him to the spot, one part of him wanted to go after Pyro and punish her, but the other part urged him to get dry before someone saw him in this undignified state.

"Hao?" Hao cursed to himself. Of all the bad timing, this was the worst. The last person he wanted to see him like this was one of his so-called family, and yet, here Yoh was. He turned his head slightly to glare at his younger twin, hoping the look would frighten him away.

"Are you alright?" Yoh asked instead, seemingly nonplussed by Hao's heated glower. "Should I get some towels or something?"

"I don't need help." Hao snapped. "Least of all from you." Yoh jerked at the harsh tone of voice and then sadly nodded and walked away.

As he left Hao lowered his head and closed his eyes. He breathed deep, trying to get his swirling, tormented emotions in check. Out of nowhere an image of Yoh's gentle, hurt face superimposed itself in his mind and a wave of self-loathing rose in his throat like bile. He forced the emotion back, refusing to acknowledge the implications behind it; the implication that he, Hao Asakura, might actually harbour some kind of feelings for his 'lesser half'.

Sudden footsteps brought him back to reality and he looked up with a snarl. Yoh simply stood there, a stack of clothes and towels in hand. Slowly he knelt down and placed the bundle on the floor, maintaining eye contact with Hao the entire time. Hao found himself transfixed, unable to look away from those concerned eyes.

Yoh backed off, eyes not leaving Hao's until he was out of sight. Hao walked up to the bundle and crouched by it. On top was a scrap of paper. He tore it off and read it.

_The door to your right is a bathroom, hope that helps you out a little._

_Yoh_

Yoh's writing was untidy, hurried, but there was a peculiar grace in them just the same. Hao forced back an unfamiliar swell of emotion and crumpled the note before burning it to cinders. He took the clothes and towels and headed into the door Yoh had indicated. He resolved to stay as far away from Yoh as possible during their stay here. He had no idea what a daunting task that would prove to be.

Wolf and Leo: Review plz!


	7. Chapter 7

Wolf and Leo: Own nothing but the craziness.

Kanna, Mari, Macchi and Opacho stood crowded around the jukebox that was Brian the reformed poltergiest's home, clearly fascinated. Hao was not around and they had decided to do some exploring and wound up in the library, listening to Brian.

"Well, having fun ladies?" The four of them whirled to find Josh leaning against the doorframe, an amused grin on his face. "Brian's pretty cool, huh?" None of them answered, just looked at him suspiciously. "What's the matter, cat got your tongues?"

"Not supposed to talk to humans." Josh cocked his head at Opacho and then got down on his knees to look her in the eyes.

"And why is that?" Opacho said nothing, but a new voice from the doorway answered him.

"Because humans are cruel, greedy and they have completely destroyed the world we live in." Pyro spoke in a disinterested monotone, as though she were reciting a list from memory. "That's about the gist of it."

"And this is the whole human race we're talking about?" Josh asked in disbelief.

"Except for shamans, yes." Pyro replied. The four girls stared at her nervously, unsure of the female version of Hao, especially since she seemed to have rejected everything that their Hao stood for.

"Wow, that has to be the biggest case of racism I've ever heard." Josh said, crossing his arms and staring at the four girls that followed Hao with raised eyebrows. "And you believe in this ….. why?"

"We don't expect you to understand." Kanna snapped. "You've never been treated horribly because of what you are."

"So people have tried to hurt you because you're shamans?" They all nodded slowly. "I can't say I've been in fights specifically because of that, but one of my best buddies is black, and me and Tim were always picked on because we were friends with...I won't even say what some of these people called him. We've even been in fights because of it. So I do understand a little, and I also understand that not everyone is like that."

"Hmph, why should we listen to you, you're one of them?" Macchi demanded. Josh closed his eyes and sighed heavily.

"I don't expect you to believe me, all that I'm asking is that you look at things from a different perspective." He explained. "Yes people believe you're monsters, or witches, but they are conditioned by centuries of theological beliefs to believe that. And yes, I admit that we've made a complete mess of this world, but we are also trying to correct our mistakes, and make sure we don't make any more."

"Mari doesn't see much progress in that." Mari intoned softly. Josh nodded.

"The problem is to make change everyone has to be willing and able to change. It's like a car engine, all the parts have to be moving together, or it doesn't go anywhere, right?" Josh rubbed a hand over his buzzed head. "I'm not saying it's right, but that's the way things seem to work right now. My brother's always saying that you shouldn't destroy a whole orchard just because of a few wormy apples." He glanced down at his watch and grimaced. "Speaking of my brother I'd better go help him."

He disappeared before anyone could ask what he needed to help Tim with. Pyro glanced at the four girls who were Hao's followers without much interest and then turned to leave as well.

"Hold on a second." Kanna called after her. "If you are really Hao, then you understand what we're all about." Pyro didn't turn as she replied.

"Not anymore."

%&%&%

Hao was wandering the house again. It seemed like every time he thought he knew the layout there was a new hallway or a new wing of the house that he hadn't seen. He'd begun to suspect that the house had other magics than wards on it, ones that made it bigger on the inside.

As he was walking along, enjoying the silence he saw Yoh trotting in the direction towards him. Hao walked quicker, taking care not to meet Yoh's eyes or show him any sort of opening to speak. As they drew abreast of each other the hallway was narrow enough that they brushed against each other. Hao's elbow 'accidently' caught Yoh just under the ribcage. Yoh let out a yelp of surprise and pain and Hao heard his hurried footsteps disappear as a satisfied smirk crossed his face.

"What the hell was that?" Hao half-turned at the angry voice to find Tim staring at him with a furious look in his blue-green eyes.

"What was what?" Hao replied nonchalantly.

"You know what." Tim snarled, storming right up to Hao and looking down at him. "Why do you treat him like shit, huh? He's your brother." Hao smirked at him.

"He is nothing but my lesser half." He said in a quiet, unkind voice. "The only reason I allow him to live is so that I may add his power to my own."

"So what, that means you get to treat him like crap? Hit him where he's already hurt?"

"What are you talking about?" Hao asked impatiently.

"Oh, if you paid attention to anything besides your own little plans you'd know that Yoh had gotten hurt yesterday in the spot where you so nicely elbowed him."

"Hmph, and how did he manage that?" Hao struggled to quail the feelings of mixed regret and disgust in himself that surged up inside him.

"A couple of those boys were practicing in the back yard, and Anna yelled at Yoh for something, distracting him and Ren nearly managed to gore him. Thankfully Faust is here, I would not like to have to try to explain a wound like that."

"Hmph, so he was foolish, as usual." So why do I feel queasy? Hao thought to himself. Tim eyed him with a mixture of weariness and distaste.

"You know, I don't even know how he can care about you." He commented. Hao's head jerked up at that.

"Yoh does not care about me." He said in a condescending, disbelieving tone.

"Oh he does, just the way he looks at you, I know he does." Tim replied.

"You do not understand, human, he tried to kill me." Hao growled. Tim raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You don't believe me? See for yourself."

Hao lifted his poncho and threw the material over one shoulder, revealing his toned chest. From abs to navel was a scabbed wound. The scab was flaking, and new, pink skin showed underneath.

Tim snorted derisively. "I get more dangerous wounds sparring with Gramma." He laughed. "Whatever Yoh was trying to do, he was not trying to kill you, I tell you that." Tim smirked at Hao and then sauntered off.

%&%&%

Yoh sniffed slightly as he walked slowly down the hallway, searching for Faust. He was bleeding again and needed new bandages. The wound stung, but not as much as Hao's blatant dismissal and dislike of him. Yoh knew that Hao held no place in his heart for Yoh, but it still hurt when Hao simply looked at him as though he were nothing.

"Hey, you're bleeding." Yoh looked up to find Kitty standing in the open doorway of her and Pyro's bedroom. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." Yoh said quietly, trying not to let his voice shake. His head was turned and all the sudden he was staring into Pyro's hypnotic eyes.

"You're not fine." She said finally. "Are you?" Slowly, feeling the tears begin to prick his eyes, Yoh shook his head.

"I just don't understand." He whispered. Pyro exhaled, not even having to ask what he was talking about. Kitty wrapped her arms around him and sighed heavily. Pyro beckoned to the two of them.

"Come on in."

%&%&%

"It's not just Hao."

Hao was lost in his thoughts when the sound of his brother's voice halted him. He peered around the corner of the nearest room to see Yoh sitting on a bed, Kitty holding his hand and Pyro sitting cross-legged next to him. He kept himself out of sight, curious enough to eavesdrop.

"What do you mean?" He heard Pyro ask. Yoh sighed wearily.

"I mean it's not just him that I'm feeling pressure from." Yoh clarified. "Everyone seems to have their own idea of what my destiny is, what I should be doing. Hao believes I'm nothing but some extra power that he can take at any time." Hao winced at the bitter tone of Yoh's voice. "I'm just a thing to be used and then thrown away." Hao heard Yoh inhale softly, shakily. "But sometimes the rest of my family is no better."

"How so?" Kitty asked.

"They expect me to be the one to stop Hao, to destroy him." Yoh's voice then dropped to a grieving whisper, "To kill my own brother." A heavy sigh was heard from inside. "They never asked me what it was that I wanted, whether or not I wanted this great 'responsibility'. I don't want to kill him, I don't want to kill anyone. I just feel... lost in the shuffle, like my own voice is being lost in all those speaking for me."

"Like a prince who is so adored, but yet is a prisoner in his own home." Pryo whispered

"Exactly, I don't get a say in things anymore." Yoh sighed, "I'm just dragged along for the ride of my life that I have no control in where it's going."

Hao could listen no more. The sound of Yoh's anguish sent a feeling akin to physical agony through him. He needed to get away, far away. Away from Yoh and from the unwanted feelings he provoked in him. So he quickly and silently slipped away, not noticing Yoh turn around to look at the spot he was just in mere seconds ago.

"The truth is, I just want my brother back, and not the shell of what he has become." Yao then leaned back on the bed and just curled up and silently started to cry. Pyro and Kitty just looked at each other not knowing how to deal with a boy with a broken sprit.

Leo: find the wind and become it for only then will you truly become free.

Wolf: (raises an eyebrow) where did that come from, and what dose that have to do with the story?

Leo: (sighs) it's a metaphor, it's not to be taken literally. And how it fits that's for me to know and you all to find out (grins)

Wolf: (pouts) your no fun

Leo: (grins) I know.

Wolf: Review plz!


	8. Chapter 8

Wolf: Sorry this took so long, somebody was being lazy *glares at Leo*

Leo: Eep! *hides*

Wolf: Anyways, we own nothing, so on with the craziness!

"So, what do you think of our houseguests?" Evie asked drily as the twins went through their sparring workout. They stopped and looked at each other, and then their grandmother. Tim took a deep breath and launched into his tirade.

"Well, Anna's a bitch, Hao's a bastard, the majority of the Asakura family is obsessed, Yoh's alright, and so are the Parallel girls-"

"Faust is slightly creepy, but cool, Manta needs to take some chill pills, Ren and Horohoro fighting with each other constantly is starting to piss me off, and I think Hao's girls are just confused and hurt." Josh added on.

"What about Marco and his little girl?" Evie asked, raising an eyebrow when both boys gagged. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up."

"What do you mean, those girls seem confused?" Tim asked Josh. Josh shrugged.

"Well, if they were firm in their beliefs that all humans had to die, I shouldn't have been able to rattle them the way I did, should I?" he asked. Tim shook his head. Then he looked up and grinned half-heartedly.

"Hey guys, what's up?" He greeted Yoh, Ren, Horohoro, Manta and Anna as they trekked outside.

"It's time for their training." Anna answered haughtily. "So, you need to leave." Tim and Josh exchanged looks.

"Little lady," Evie drawled, unconcerned. "This is our home, you don't make the rules here." Turning away from Anna's slowly reddening face she nodded at the boys to continue. Josh grinned and hefted his claymore in one while Tim twisted his twin katanas in his. Josh was the bruiser of the two of them, he hit hard and rarely did Fae get back up when he put full force into a blow. Tim was the faster of the two, a regular whirlwind of deadly accuracy in a fight. Their difference in technique made them perfect sparring partners.

The shaman boys looked on in amazement as the twins threw themselves at each other with the savagery of young lions. Their weapons clashed with a dull clang, and the boys suddenly realized the blades were made of iron. They parted, circling each other, looking for an opening before coming together again with a clang of iron.

"Aren't they being a bit rough?" Evie half-turned at the new voice to see Keiko standing there watching the twins spar with evident concern in her dark eyes. Evie just snorted.

"They're fine. They need to practice like they're actually fighting the Fae, believe when I tell you those things don't go down easily." Her words obviously did nothing to ease Keiko's fears, so she smiled. "There now missy, they won't hurt each other, they have enough control not to do that."

"Besides, your own son practices the same way." Yohmei grumbled as he came outside with Kino and Mikihisa. "He doesn't come out any worse for the wear." Evie saw another flash of worry cross Keiko's face and felt sorry for her; no mother wanted to watch their child get hurt.

"So nice to see y'all outside the house." She commented.

"We actually had a question." Kino said, folding her arms.

"Ask away."

"Are your grandsons the only ones with the power to open these gateways, as you call them?" Evie blinked at Yohmei's question.

"No, of course not, there are, if I remember correctly, 60 such twin pairs that share the power."

"Then why not call them to ask them to send us back?"

"Obviously you weren't listening to the twins' explanation very well." Pyro pushed her way through the crowd to sit down next to Evie, watching the twins continue to try to kill each other. "They said that even if we hadn't come through Josh would have drained Tim's power anyways, because of its instability on the equinoxes. Therefore the other 'Gates' in the world would have done the same."

"Smart girl." Evie said approvingly, taking a cigarette out of her pocket and putting in her mouth.

"Gramma put that away!" Evie looked up at Tim's furious yell. He scowled at her. "You're going to get cancer." He warned. Evie huffed, but threw the cigarette away anyways. She caught Pyro's look and shrugged.

"Bad habit, but the boys are trying to break me of it."

"I'd watch out for that monster." Mikihisa said in a low voice. Pyro turned her head to level a heated glare at him.

"'That monster' is sitting right here. A few manners will take you a long way." She said calmly. Yohmei sneered at her.

"Manners."

%&%&%&%

Hao wandered the halls by himself once more. More and more lately he found himself abhorring the company of his followers, weary of the half-awed, half-terrified feelings that aroused from their minds whenever he was near. He found himself longing for just one person that would sit down and talk to him like just another human being, which was strange, he never had those feelings before.

Suddenly something slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. He growled and stared up into Kitty's apologetic face. She was sprawled on top of him and squirmed to get off without landing them both in an awkward situation.

"I'm sorry." She said timidly as she got up. "I didn't see you there."

"Then maybe you should watch where you're going." Hao snapped harshly. Kitty flinched, so much like Yoh would in the same situation that the dull ache that had become his near constant companion in the last little while flared up tightly in his chest.

"I'm sorry, it's just…well…have you seen the twins?" Kitty seemed visibly upset by something, casting furtive glances over her shoulder. Probably a mouse, Hao thought to himself.

"Why would I care where the humans were?" He asked contemptuously.

"I don't know, I just need to find them, I think a poltergeist is loose in my room, my shorts are doing the cha-cha." Hao's eyebrow lifted at the absurdity of the statement, but the panic he saw in Kitty's eyes told him that it was real.

"I think I saw them outside." He sighed, not really sure why he was helping her. But Kitty simply smiled hugely at him before bouncing forward to wrap her arms around his shoulders in a brief hug.

"Thank you." She called as she raced down the hallway. Hao watched her go with a feeling of mingled bewilderment and amusement. Not a moment later Josh and Tim came barrelling down the hallway at top speed. Hao pressed himself against the wall to avoid getting run over by them.

They skidded to a halt in front of an open doorway. "Wow, they really are doing the cha-cha." Tim commented.

"Definitely a step up from Yankee Doodle." Josh sighed. "But, still not good enough to allow us to let them stay free." He held up a sea glass bottle, Tim did the same and they lunged into the room. A series of crashes and bangs were heard from inside before a pair of fringed jean shorts and a baby blue blouse came dancing out of the room, heading in Hao's direction.

"Stop those clothes!" Tim yelled as he and his brother skidded out of the room to smash into the wall. Hao snorted, but grabbed at the shorts as they came by. At that instant, something that felt like a living whirlwind settled itself upon him, tearing at hair, clothes, pinching skin, all while uttering a strange, high-pitched chattering noise. Hao yelled and tried to bat the thing away, but it was like trying to grab air.

"And gotcha!" Suddenly the whirlwind was gone and Josh was holding a shaking sea glass bottle. "You alright?" He asked.

"Of course I am." Hao huffed, putting his rumpled clothes and hair back into place. The twins grinned at him.

"Well then, thank you."

"For what?" The twins' grins got wider.

"For being the distraction."

Wolf: He he

Leo: Review plz!


	9. Chapter 9

Wolf and Leo: Own nothing!

"So, what's the deal with the poltergeists around here?" Horohoro asked one night at dinner. They had at least two other poltergeists show up in the last week or so, every one of them causing some kind of havoc. Tim and Josh shrugged at his question.

"Like most supernatural beings, poltergeists are drawn to magic." Tim explained.

"For the most part the two of us can put a sort of damper on our powers, so they're not 'seen'." Josh added, chomping down on a piece of chicken.

"You guys however, leak magic all over the place and it's driving the locals insane." Tim finished. "The Fae are the worst. They like to keep unique humans as 'pets' and drink their blood, because according to them the blood is better with magic."

"That makes them sound more like vampires." Marco protested.

"Where do you think some of those legends come from?" Evie asked drily. "And it's that sort of thing that makes it so important for all of you to remember to have some kind of iron on you when you go outside, especially at night."

"Didn't you say that there were Fae living in this house though?" Manta asked nervously.

"There are, but they have been cast out of the normal Fae circles because of their...I guess you could say they were too kind for the rest of their kind." Josh explained.

"They stay here because they know they'll be safe with us." Tim continued.

"How come we haven't seen them?" Macchi asked, swinging her legs under the table.

"They can be pretty shy, they don't like humans too much because of what people tend to do to them, and some of the other supernaturals view them as little more than vile little parasites."

"Ah, so non-humans can be prejudiced too." Pyro noted. Josh blinked at her.

"Do you really think that prejudice is simply a human trait? As far as we know all sentient species share the tendency, and that includes aliens."

"Aliens?" Mikihisa repeated sceptically.

"Yup." Tim smiled. "See, dragons aren't considered supernaturals in this world, because they're actually aliens! There's the upright walking, sentient type, and the smaller type that is sort of to the dragons as chimpanzees are to humans. The dragons call these little ones dragonlings. Two live here, as pets actually."

"You're pulling our legs." Hao accused.

"Nope." Josh replied and then slid under the table. A moment later Hao let out a startled yelp as he was dragged under. Popping back up Josh grinned at the irate shaman. "Now, I pulled your leg."

%&%&%&%

Hao stormed up to the roof later that night, unable to sleep and wanting to be left alone. Unfortunately when he got there Pyro and Kitty were already there. Pyro had Kitty in her lap, Kitty's back against her chest, hands entwined as they stared up at the night sky. Instead of leaving Hao stalked up to the two of them.

"Is there some kind of agreement between you and those humans to do everything possible to humiliate me?" He demanded of Pyro. "I mean, I can understand why they do it-"

"Why, because they're human and you expect it of them?" Pyro interrupted.

"Of course." Hao answered. Pyro snorted.

"They do it for the same reason I do. Because you piss us off the way you treat your brother, and it's entertaining to get a rise out of you."

"What do you care about my idiot brother?" Hao sneered. Pyro's dark eyes flashed in anger.

"Because you and everyone else who expects so much out of him are slowly killing him." Her voice was low and cold and the icy words chilled him to the bone.

"What the hell does that mean?" Hao asked. Pyro pulled Kitty closer in answer, resting her chin on her younger sister's head.

"Maybe you should try actually paying attention to him sometime, he might surprise you." Pyro simply responded. "He's more intelligent, and less ignorant than you think, just like my imouto." She ruffled Kitty's hair fondly, earning a protesting yelp and hands frantically pulling her hair back into place.

"What the hell did they do, brainwash you?" Hao challenged. Pyro gave him a benign look.

"No, they simply raised me instead of trying to kill me." She replied calmly. "But it wasn't until I started going to school with imouto that things really started to change."

"And why is that?"

"Because imouto showed me light." Pyro refused to say anymore and after a few frustrated moments of trying to get her to talk, Hao left. Kitty looked up at her older sister.

"Do you really think he'll learn to understand?" She asked. Pyro sighed.

"If he allows himself to listen, maybe, but there's not much we can do about that, is there?"

%&%&%&%

"I still can't believe she's pregnant." Horohoro whispered to the others during a break in their training. Anna had gone inside for a check-up with Evie and so they were able to stop their mock-battles.

"It surprises me too." Ren replied. "I didn't think Anna would let Yoh kiss her, let alone do _that_." They both looked towards Yoh, who blushed a deep red.

"It was right before we left for the tournament, and it was because if I died during, there would be an heir to the Asakura line." He explained sheepishly.

"So it was out of necessity and not out of passion." Ren concluded. Yoh's face went a deeper red.

"I wouldn't say there wasn't any passion." He muttered. His friends just stared at him with open mouths.

"Let's hope that kid of yours has your personality and not hers though." Tim ruffled Yoh's hair, having seemed to have appeared out of nowhere with his brother.

"Where'd you come from?" Manta yelped, falling over in his surprise.

"Really? Your parents haven't told you the facts of life yet?" Josh snickered at the scandalized look he got. "No, seriously, there's a couple secret passages in the house and we like to use them, pretending to be ninjas." Something whistled and the shamans stared at the tiny, blue-green dragon-like creature perched on Josh's shoulder. They then noticed a similar little creature, silver this time, perched on Tim's shoulder as well.

"Oh, these are our dragonlings, Pippin," He pointed at his little dragonling, who peeped in response.

"And Tweak." Tim scratched his pet's head, earning a chirpy coo. "Just thought you guys should meet them, seeing as we've got a lot of scepticism from everybody."

"What are you doing just standing around? Get back to work!" Anna screeched as she came storming back outside. Josh and Tim looked her over. She glared at them. "What?"

"Yup, definitely getting a baby belly." Tim commented. Anna's glare got deeper.

"Excuse me?" She questioned, giving them the glare that sent most men running. Josh and Tim just blinked at her.

"You don't scare us, we were raised by our grandmother."

Leo: me back!

Wolf: (glances over) yea and what took so long?

Leo: (grins sheepishly) let's just say I got lazy and leave it at that.

Wolf: (rolls eyes)

Leo: in any case review please!


	10. Chapter 10

Wolf and Leo: Own nothing but the crazy ocs and the plot!

It was a brisk day out, unusual for summer. Hao decided to take advantage of it by taking a walk. He wanted out of the house, away from the accusing stares of the twins and Pyro, and the longing looks from Yoh. He had slipped out of the house without anyone noticing, or so he thought.

As he turned into a nearby entrance to Central Park, he could hear running footsteps clattering his way. "Hao, Hao wait!" Hao growled softly to himself. He really didn't want to deal with his brother. He kept walking, hoping Yoh would get the message. Apparently though, this wasn't the case.

"Hao!" Hao twisted and glared at Yoh as the younger twin grabbed his shoulder. Yoh instantly removed his hand as though Hao had burned him and took a small step back. Part of Hao was smugly amused by this, but another part of him felt bad for scaring his brother.

"What do you want?" He snapped angrily. Yoh gulped slightly and took a hesitant step forward, his dark eyes worried.

"You just sort of rushed out, I wasn't sure if you'd taken one of these." He explained, holding out an iron pendant in the shape of a star. Hao snorted.

"I don't need it."

"Hao you heard what they said. You're powers aren't going to help you if they can Mesmer you. The iron will prevent them from getting close enough to do so." Hao scoffed but something in Yoh's pleading, worried eyes and the way he held out the tiny trinket to him in such a shy manner disarmed him and he reached out and snatched the thing up.

"There, happy?" Hao snarled. Yoh's mouth worked itself up into a faint smile, but his eyes were tired and still worried. Hao recalled the conversation that he'd heard and thought that Yoh looked as though he were reaching a breaking point. He shook the thought away as fast as it came however. "Go away now." He ordered.

Yoh let out a low sigh and his narrow shoulders slumped. Nodding his head he turned and trotted away. Hao watched him go and then lifted the pendant to give it a sceptical and unhappy glare.

"You should put it on." A little voice beside Hao's ear made him whirl. He frowned, not seeing anyone. "I said, you should put the damned pendant on."

"Who are you?" Hao demanded. "Where are you?" A small sigh reached his ears.

"Honestly, you humans do not _look._" It said peevishly. "I'm right in front of you." Hao frowned and blinked, and suddenly there was a rather small person hovering in front of his face.

Said person was only about eight inches tall and looked to be male. He had a narrow face, flame-red hair and large green eyes. His skin was pale and freckled and he had a pair of green pants on. He was shirtless, which allowed his dragonfly-like wings freedom to move. Those wings whirred at an alarming pace, keeping him hovering in front of Hao. "Well?" He said in annoyance, his voice, despite being tiny, fairly deep.

"What are you?" Hao asked, reaching out for the little man with the hand that still held the pendant. The little guy cringed and darted backward.

"Careful with that thing!" he snapped. Hao raised an eyebrow.

"Are you a Fae then?"

"Yeah, I am. Got a problem with that?" The little Fae put his hands on his hips and glared challengingly at Hao.

"Not unless you plan to eat me or something." Hao replied evenly. He put the pendant on, tucking it underneath his poncho. "I thought Fae wouldn't come near if I had iron?"

"Most won't." The faerie agreed. "I've developed a sort of...immunity." Hao raised an eyebrow.

"You don't by any chance live with a pair of twins named Tim and Josh do you?" He asked. The faerie grinned brightly, showing off pointed canines.

"I do." He admitted. "My name is Pib, by the way."

"Hao Asakura." Pib nodded.

"I know, me and my girls have been watching you guys for the last little bit." Pib explained. "You should give your brother a little more credit, running after you like that. He cares."

"Like I give a damn if he cares or not." Hao replied harshly. He looked around and was relieved to see there was no one to see him talking to the tiny faerie. Pib shrugged disinterestedly.

"Whatever you say." He whirred his wings and then lit on Hao's shoulder. "I will say though that if Yoh had not shown up and you were wandering around here the Fae that lives in the lake nearby would have snagged you."

"There's a Fae in the lake?" Hao asked with interest. Pib nodded solemnly.

"It's a bit like those things that humans call mermaids, but all slimy and with a mouthful of teeth that even a shark would run from." Pib gave him a serious look. "If she'd gotten a hold of you you'd be dead, drowned in the lake and then having your blood sucked from your body." Pib took a step back and eyed Hao critically for a moment. "No, scratch that, she'd probably _play_ with you first."

Something about the way Pib said 'play' made Hao's skin crawl unpleasantly. He eyed the faerie curiously.

"What makes you so different from all the other Fae who only want to drink my blood and 'play' with me?" He asked. Pib looked down.

"Well, I owe Tim and Josh a debt of gratitude for one." He said slowly.

"For what?" Pib's tiny face grew red.

"They rescued me from a cat." He mumbled. Hao just blinked at him. "What? Not going to laugh at me?"

"No." Hao said simply. Pib gave him a confused look.

"You're one of the few. Even my girls laughed at me!"

"Who are these girls?"

"Oh, well, pixies, my particular breed of faerie arrange themselves in groups with one male being the leader over a bunch of females." Pib explained.

"So, like a harem."

"Exactly!" Pib exclaimed and then plopped down on Hao's shoulder. "You're all right, for a human."

"I am a shaman." Hao countered. Pib gave him a look.

"You're still human." He said simply.

"I have power that most humans do not, I think that distinguishes me from them." Hao replied haughtily. Pib made a rude noise.

"Is a horse not a horse just because it's smarter, or can run different, or is a different colour from other horses?" Pib asked. "You're human, it's in your DNA, whatever that is, and in your soul. Human is a state of being as much as a physical state, or so I'm told."

"You're giving me a headache now." Hao said impatiently. To his surprise Pib grinned.

"Good, then some of what I'm saying is actually getting in there."

%&%&%

Yoh heaved a sigh as he walked back in the house. "Where have you been?" He turned to look at Pyro and Kitty.

"Are you two always together?" He asked playfully. Pyro shrugged.

"Not always, but most of the time, yes." She replied. "You didn't answer my question."

"I went to make sure Hao had remembered to wear some iron with him." Yoh replied. "He wasn't very grateful, but he took it anyways."

"Ahh, then you're getting through to him." Kitty said.

"A little."

"It takes time, I was nearly six years old in this life before I really started to care about imouto." Yoh gave them a tired look.

"I don't know if I have six years."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~&~~)~~~~~

Wolf and Leo: Review plz!


	11. Chapter 11

Wolf and Leo: Own nothing!

"What do you mean?" Kitty asked Yoh, scared by the desolate expression on his face.

"I mean that either me or Hao is going to wind up dead before then, in one way or another." Yoh sighed.

"I feel like I'm going crazy." He sat down on the stairs. Kitty sat down beside him and Pyro sat on the other side.

"You're not going crazy." Kitty protested.

"Aren't I?" Yoh countered. "I feel like everything's closing in on me, everyone wants something from me, and I think, no I know, that I can't give it to them."

"It's like everyone wants a piece, and there's nothing left for you." Pyro offered calmly. Yoh gave her a glum look.

"Exactly."

%&%&%&%

Hao walked with Pib perched on his shoulder the whole ride home. He was amazed that no one saw the little faerie, particularly since the little man was chattering the entire way home, in broad daylight, in the middle of crowded streets.

"Nobody is even looking at us." Hao murmured in bemusement. Pib laughed.

"Of course not!" He exclaimed. "Like I said, humans don't _look._ They don't want to see. They don't want to believe in anything else but their own little lives." Pib snorted derisively. "Then again, who would want to remember that there are creatures in the dark, waiting to devour them?" Pib shrugged. "Most of the Fae don't want humans to know either."

"Because then it would make catching their prey more difficult." Hao said with a faint shudder.

"Hmm, there is that, but they also don't want to get into a war with humans either." Pib explained.

"Why not? The Fae have the advantage, don't they?"

"Not as much these days, but there is one other advantage you humans got on us."

"What's that?"

"You can lie." Pib explained. Hao raised an eyebrow at him. "Fae can't lie."

"I have heard that before." Hao said thoughtfully.

"Well, it's true." Pib griped. "We can't lie about a thing, not one little insignificant fib."

"I can see why that would be annoying." Hao commented as he opened the door to his temporary home. Pib flew off his shoulder as Hao took off the iron pendant. Looking around Hao saw Kitty, Pyro and Yoh sitting on the stairs. He gave them a scowl and brushed by them on the way up the stairs. When he'd gone Yoh heaved a sigh.

"I had one like that once." Yoh looked up to see Pib hovering in front of him, an angry and upset look on his face.

"What?" Yoh asked.

"I had a brother like that once." Pib explained. "Oh, by the way, my name is Pib."

"Yoh Asakura." Pib nodded. "What was your brother like?"

"Like most Fae." Pib sighed. "Us pixies, we spend more time up in the air, in the open, than do most Fae. They rarely venture out of their holes, unless their looking for entertainment." Pib sighed. "As a result, us pixies get a chance to really see humans, and a lot of us see that they're not so different from us. You don't see a lot of pixies at a Fae party for this reason." Pib paused a second.

"But your brother liked it." Pyro supplied.

"He did, and he could not for the life of him understand why I didn't." Pib sighed. "I didn't have any great attachment to humans, but I didn't want to watch them being tortured. When I told him about Tim and Josh saving me he didn't want to hear it, and then demanded that I join him at the next party. When I refused he told me to get out and threatened to serve me up at the next party, and not as a guest."

Yoh, Kitty and Pyro all shivered. Pib nodded. "I took my girls, thankfully they all felt the way I did, and got out of there as fast as I could. Came here, hoping that the twins would help me out again. Thanks be to the gods that they did."

"The girls?" Kitty asked, tilting her head in confusion. Pib grinned.

"Yeah, I'll get them for you." He threw his head back and yelled at the ceiling. "LADIES!" Almost instantly four brightly coloured whirlwinds darted down the stairs and around Pib. They chattered and laughed and kissed and hugged the male pixie. "Alright, alright. Enough with the mushy stuff." The four females stood still to hover lightly in the air.

"They're so pretty." Kitty breathed. The four female pixies giggled.

"Alrighty then, this is Wink." Wink, a blonde and purple eyed pixie wearing a pink dress curtsied. "And Dina." A dark-skinned, brown-eyed girl in a yellow dress nodded her head politely. "Teaka." A yellow-eyed, brown-haired girl in a blue dress waved. "And Mixie." The last, a redhead and blue-eyed pixie in a green dress smiled. "These are my girls."

"Pleased to meet you." The girls chorused. They darted playfully around the three teenagers, making them laugh.

"I hope you're liking our home." Wink giggled.

"It's very nice." Yoh said.

"As long as there's no poltergeists." Dina added sarcastically.

"The poltergeists are kind of funny." Kitty protested.

"Not when they can whirl you around until you throw up." Mixie protested in return. Kitty grimaced and didn't comment anymore.

"What's up girls? Pib?" Tim and Josh dashed down the stairs. "Haven't seen you all in awhile."

The girls instantly whirled around the twins, chattering so quickly that Yoh, Kitty or Pyro couldn't tell what they were saying. The twins however, had no such trouble and laughed and chatted back at the girls.

"What is this?" They all turned to see Marco and Jeanne descending the stairs. They politely moved out of the way while the pixies found perches on their friends' shoulders. "Are they Fae?" Marco demanded.

"Yeah." Tim replied, folding his arms.

"Then what are those monsters doing here?" Pib lifted off Josh's shoulder, wings whirring angrily.

"Hey, watch what you're saying about my girls." He growled, shaking a fist at Marco.

"Come on now Marco, you're not afraid of something so tiny, are you?" Hao taunted from atop the stairs. Pib glared at him.

"Hey, buddy, I got a reputation to uphold here, you're not helping." He snapped.

"Hmph, like you could do any damage, really." Hao snorted derisively.

"I could come up there and punch you in the nose, if you'd like." Pib replied, shaking a tiny fist at Hao. Hao made a face.

"I'm being threatened by a man a fraction of my size, what is the world coming to?" Hao asked aloud and then walked away. Pib settled back down on Josh's shoulder.

"Man, guy has a way of getting under your skin, don't he?"

"It's a talent." Pyro sighed resignedly. "Not entirely intentional, but it seems to have become so with him."

"You're no different than he, she-demon." Marco growled. Pyro glared so hotly at him that everyone watched expected to see him singe.

"Hao's not the only one talented in getting under people's skin." She simply commented. Marco sniffed and wandered off. The Iron Maiden stayed however, watching the pixies with expressionless eyes.

"So why are there Fae here?" She asked.

"Because not all of us are nasty." Pib replied. "Some of us just want to be left alone." The Iron Maiden nodded, apparently satisfied, and followed after Marco. Yoh sighed and stood.

"I should go, it's practice time." He said reluctantly. As he walked away Pib tapped Tim's shoulder.

"He don't look too good." Pib commented.

"He's depressed." Pyro explained. "Poor boy's got a lot of pressure on him, and he's reaching the end of his rope."

"Poor kid." Teaka sighed dramatically. "And he's so sweet too. It's always the nice ones that get the crap in life, isn't it?"

Pyro shrugged, " It does seem that way doesn't it. But then again those who live through the crap of life are stronger than those who are sheltered from it."

Teaka sighed "If only he knew that."

Leo : the deeper we go the stronger we feel, the higher we go the more we feel the ground, the harder the trial we go through, the more reason there is to go on.

Wolf: (raises eyebrow) where did that come from?

Leo: its just something that came to me that's all.

Wolf: I see...

Leo: review please! :D


End file.
